The Attributes of the Church
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Introduction: One, Holy, Universal, Apostolic
Introduction: One, Holy, Universal, Apostolic
As we look through each of these attributes, we will see that in one sense, these are already true of the church, yet in another sense, we are growing into these attributes over time.
Another thing we will notice about these attributes of the church is that they are rooted in the nature and character of God, as Mark Dever helpfully pointed out in his book, “The Church”.
“One” — Unity of the Church
“One” — Unity of the Church
The church is united because God is united.
The church is in one sense already unified and in another sense growing up into maturity which leads to unity.
Christians have always been characterized by their unity:
32 Now the full number of those who believed were of one heart and soul, and no one said that any of the things that belonged to him was his own, but they had everything in common.
This is why division and strife in the church is such a serious problem.
Calls to unity in Scripture:
10 I appeal to you, brothers, by the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, that all of you agree, and that there be no divisions among you, but that you be united in the same mind and the same judgment. 11 For it has been reported to me by Chloe’s people that there is quarreling among you, my brothers. 12 What I mean is that each one of you says, “I follow Paul,” or “I follow Apollos,” or “I follow Cephas,” or “I follow Christ.” 13 Is Christ divided? Was Paul crucified for you? Or were you baptized in the name of Paul?
2 complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
4 There is one body and one Spirit—just as you were called to the one hope that belongs to your call— 5 one Lord, one faith, one baptism, 6 one God and Father of all, who is over all and through all and in all.
21 that they may all be one, just as you, Father, are in me, and I in you, that they also may be in us, so that the world may believe that you have sent me.
The unity of the church is not merely an ideal to aspire to — thought it certainly is that — it is an eternal fact; a present reality. There is an “already; not yet” aspect to this. One could summarize the bible’s teaching on Christian unity in this way: “You are unified in Christ, therefore, live like it.”
In other words, the unity of the Church is a spiritual reality, not an institutional one. To put it another way, the unity of the church in this present age is invisible versus visible. That does not mean it is imaginary. It means that what unifies us is not perceivable with the naked eye. It is a deep, cosmic reality that has its source in Christ himself.
Some branches of Christendom, such as Eastern Orthodoxy and the Roman Catholicism, believe church unity is and should be an institutional reality. In other words, in order for the unity of the church to be true, there must be an outward, visible unity. This was the twelve disciple’s initial assumption as well, until Jesus corrected them:
38 John said to him, “Teacher, we saw someone casting out demons in your name, and we tried to stop him, because he was not following us.” 39 But Jesus said, “Do not stop him, for no one who does a mighty work in my name will be able soon afterward to speak evil of me. 40 For the one who is not against us is for us.
In other words, the unifying factor was allegiance to Jesus, not an outward, physical proximity to or association with the disciples. That isn’t to say the visible, institutional part of the church isn’t important. As we will see in the coming weeks, it certainly is. However, we should not confuse institutional unity with true unity.
“Holy” — Sacredness of the Church
“Holy” — Sacredness of the Church
The church is sacred because God is sacred.
The church is in one sense holy and in other sense being made holy over time.
Positional Holiness:
2 To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours:
8 Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ 9 and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith—
11 And such were some of you. But you were washed, you were sanctified, you were justified in the name of the Lord Jesus Christ and by the Spirit of our God.
25 Husbands, love your wives, as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her, 26 that he might sanctify her, having cleansed her by the washing of water with the word, 27 so that he might present the church to himself in splendor, without spot or wrinkle or any such thing, that she might be holy and without blemish.
Progressive Holiness:
21 in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
This truth should guard us from discouragement about the church’s immaturity at times. She is growing up into maturity. The dirt is still being washed off her and one day, she will be perfect.
“Universal” — Immensity of the Church
“Universal” — Immensity of the Church
The church is immense because God is immense.
The church is in one sense already immense, and in other sense is still growing throughout the earth and its generations.
The old word for this truth attribute “catholic”, but in recent centuries “catholic” tends to be associated with the Roman Catholic church specifically, which is unfortunate.
God is immense:
5 The mountains melt like wax before the Lord, before the Lord of all the earth.
3 And they sing the song of Moses, the servant of God, and the song of the Lamb, saying, “Great and amazing are your deeds, O Lord God the Almighty! Just and true are your ways, O King of the nations!
The church is immense:
3 Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places, 4 even as he chose us in him before the foundation of the world, that we should be holy and blameless before him. In love 5 he predestined us for adoption to himself as sons through Jesus Christ, according to the purpose of his will,
37 All that the Father gives me will come to me, and whoever comes to me I will never cast out.
Rev 21:9-27
These scriptures teach us that the purpose of the church is massive, rooted in God’s plan to save the world and to give his son a bride. She is the temple of the living God and is
Then came one of the seven angels who had the seven bowls full of the seven last plagues and spoke to me, saying, “Come, I will show you the Bride, the wife of the Lamb.” And he carried me away in the Spirit to a great, high mountain, and showed me the holy city Jerusalem coming down out of heaven from God, having the glory of God, its radiance like a most rare jewel, like a jasper, clear as crystal. It had a great, high wall, with twelve gates, and at the gates twelve angels, and on the gates the names of the twelve tribes of the sons of Israel were inscribed— on the east three gates, on the north three gates, on the south three gates, and on the west three gates. And the wall of the city had twelve foundations, and on them were the twelve names of the twelve apostles of the Lamb.
And the one who spoke with me had a measuring rod of gold to measure the city and its gates and walls. The city lies foursquare, its length the same as its width. And he measured the city with his rod, 12,000 stadia. Its length and width and height are equal. He also measured its wall, 144 cubits by human measurement, which is also an angel’s measurement. The wall was built of jasper, while the city was pure gold, like clear glass. The foundations of the wall of the city were adorned with every kind of jewel. The first was jasper, the second sapphire, the third agate, the fourth emerald, the fifth onyx, the sixth carnelian, the seventh chrysolite, the eighth beryl, the ninth topaz, the tenth chrysoprase, the eleventh jacinth, the twelfth amethyst. And the twelve gates were twelve pearls, each of the gates made of a single pearl, and the street of the city was pure gold, like transparent glass.
And I saw no temple in the city, for its temple is the Lord God the Almighty and the Lamb. And the city has no need of sun or moon to shine on it, for the glory of God gives it light, and its lamp is the Lamb. By its light will the nations walk, and the kings of the earth will bring their glory into it, and its gates will never be shut by day—and there will be no night there. They will bring into it the glory and the honor of the nations. But nothing unclean will ever enter it, nor anyone who does what is detestable or false, but only those who are written in the Lamb’s book of life.
“Apostolic” — Truthfulness of the Church
“Apostolic” — Truthfulness of the Church
The church is truthful because God is truthful.
The church is apostolic in the sense that it was started by the apostles and prophets that our Lord Jesus commissioned as the foundation of the church.
20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone,
Again, some christians groups, such as the Roman Catholic, Eastern Orthodox, and even some Anglicans, view being “apostolic” in a different way than the rest of Christendom. They would define apostolic as being able to trace an unbroken history of bishops ordaining other bishops, all the way back to the apostles themselves.
The rest of the church sees being “apostolic” not as a person-to-person transmission of the apostolic faith, but rather a transmission of the apostle’s teaching. Specifically, the New Testament writings. In other words, when a church ceases to follow the teaching of the apostles as expressed in the New Testament, the church ceases to be apostolic.
15 if I delay, you may know how one ought to behave in the household of God, which is the church of the living God, a pillar and buttress of the truth.
The church has not reached her full potential of truthfulness yet. She still needs to mature in many areas.
Conclusion
Conclusion
These four attributes are the classic attributes of the Church, as expressed in the ancient creeds. They are deeply biblical and are helpful short hands for attempting to explain the glory that is the Church of the living God.
